Vocab Bowl Begins, Blows Away Expectations

Watch the October Middle & High School Roundup Videos

November 6, 2018

The first month of the 2018-19 Vocabulary Bowl went down as the biggest season-opener ever.

Now that the word is out about the 100+ champions banners up for grabs in every state and division, students across North America blasted out of the starting gate on October 1st and racked up word-learning totals we've never seen this early in the year. So far the top 25 schools have collectively mastered 1,000,000+ words, and tens of thousands of other schools across the map have already mastered millions more.

October Vocabulary Bowl Highlights

While the sheer volume of words being mastered by students everywhere blew away expectations, it's the added element of disruption on the division leaderboards that's making for a thrilling race right from the start.

And for the first time in recent memory, defending two-time champ Margate Middle is on its heels after McAuliffe Middle School mastered 64,074 words in October to claim the top slot in the Middle & Elementary rankings — for now!

October Middle & Elementary School Roundup

High Bar Raised Even Higher in High School Division
When it comes to strong starts, it doesn't get any better than defending back-to-back champion Etiwanda High School. In September E-High sent a clear message through the Bowl universe with their record-setting total of 97,225 words: the Eagles would come out swinging as soon as the opening bell rang on October 1st. And that's exactly what they did — they mastered 94,658 words last month, making this the biggest kick-off in the history of the competition. Etiwanda also snagged their 13th monthly win, which means they're now tied with legendary Chavez High School for the most monthly banners won by a school.

In the High Schools division we're still keeping a very close eye on Walnut Hills High School out in Cincinnati as a viable threat who's looking very hungry and very consistent — two key ingredients for success. WHS crushed it on October with their biggest month ever, mastering 80,952 words. With six months left to go in the Vocabulary Bowl, which is known for the way those upstarts and underdogs create upheaval on the leaderboards, we're bracing ourselves for many more surprises.

October High School Roundup

There's still a long way to go in the 2018-19 season (season ends April 30), which means that anything can happen. It also means that there's still time to put your school on the Vocabulary Bowl map. To get involved, check out the details and rules here.

Want us to give your school a shoutout in an upcoming Roundup? Email us at bowl@vocabulary.com. Tell us why your kids deserve some extra recognition or — even better — send us a 15 second video clip of your kids going wild for word learning and we'll try to include it in our next Roundup. And check us out on Facebook and Twitter @VocabularyCom #VocabBowl.